Daredevil
by VeryBadMau
Summary: "I left home to explore the world. I sailed the seas on a pirate ship, joined a traveling circus for a while, and lived in a sandbender commune in a desert." - Suyin told the truth, but perhaps there were some fine details about her past she neglected to mention.
1. The Rebel

**Summary:** "I left home to explore the world. I sailed the seas on a pirate ship, joined a traveling circus for a while, and lived in a sandbender commune in a desert." - Suyin told the truth, but perhaps there were some fine details she neglected to mention.

Disclaimer: _The Legend of Korra_ and all its characters © Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, Nickelodeon Animation Studio, Ginormous Madman, Studio Mir, and Studio Pierrot

I do not make any profits off of this story. This is naught more than a fan's "What if?" daydream about a loveable rogue by the name of Suyin Beifong.

* * *

 **D** **AREDEVIL**

" _I was... more of a rebel."  
_ Suyin Beifong, _The Metal Clan_

 **142 AG**

So she was a little unhinged, a bit of a wild child, but did it really warrant sending her into exile to live the rest of her days in Gaoling?

All right, perhaps "exile" was too strong a word, but Suyin certainly thought the punishment outweighed her actions. She already said "Sorry" to Lin a few dozen times, and that in itself was an accomplishment on her part, she thought. Her big sister had always been something of a buzzkill, a royal stick in the mud, or a stick up something not-so-royal.

She did feel genuinely sorry about nearly splitting Lin's face in half. It was not her intention to hurt Lin, but she definitely didn't feel sorry about driving the getaway vehicle. Su couldn't see exactly what was wrong with it. She didn't steal anything and she didn't hold anyone up. Her friends were the ones doing all of that, but she certainly didn't take part in any of it. All she did was drive the satomobile for some laughs and had a ride around town with her buddies. She just owed them a favor and it was only right to fulfill her end of the deal. There was no harm in it. Oh, but _no_ , Lin always had to put a damper on things.

Well, at least it wasn't a total bust. Su did get a kick out of breaking the speed limit and sliding around corners until Lin pulled them over. Lin, the picture perfect child, the suck-up, always there to outshine her efforts and rain on her parade, anything to impress Mom.

Though Toph wasn't exactly a model of stellar behavior either. Somewhere in the back of her head, Su acknowledged that there was a pretty dark-grey area to her mother's decision. With the way Lin twisted everything in the report, she probably would have gotten a jail sentence. Toph had always been known as a hard-ass, so it was something of a shock to Su to see her tear up the report. Oh, but the look on Lin's face was _so_ worth it.

Still, it didn't settle well with her that she had to leave Republic City. It was the only home she ever knew, and even the darkest back alleys were preferable to the spotless streets of Gaoling. Grandma and Grandpa were nice and all, but they were drier than preserved prune-beets. What awaited her in Gaoling were non-stop tea ceremonies, walks in the garden and flower arranging lessons thrown in with calligraphy for good measure. They were _boring_ , and being subjected to a life of the mundane was far worse than anything she would encounter behind the bars of Republic City's prison system.

At least you got to _fight_ in prison. Gaoling had the tournament ring, but they had been going on for so long that the nuance of it all was long gone. There were more restrictions, more rules in the ring, and what's the fun in a fight if you have to follow rules? She had a few ex-boyfriends behind bars— courtesy of Lin— and when she could be bothered to remember writing to them, she read that it was pretty crazy when something went down. Crazy meant spontaneous. Spontaneous meant exciting. Exciting meant...

Well, pretty much the complete opposite of whatever her grandparents had in store for her in Gaoling. _Pass_.

Pass?

Oh, right, the rail pass for the train. Suyin flashed the piece of paper nonchalantly, lost in thought. She looked out the window and felt the train jerk, signaling the start of the journey. She placed her chin in her hand, and she stared. Gradually, Republic City pulled out of her sight, becoming a pin point in her vision. When the city vanished completely, Suyin's dull expression shifted comfortably into a smirk. All her possessions (and some of Lin's) were stuffed in the large bag slung over her shoulder. She had all the money she needed, she had her wits about her, and she had metal to bend.

Forget Gaoling. Forget Republic City. Forget Mom and _screw Lin_. Her family sent her away; her ties were cut. She would go wherever she pleased.

\- 0 – 0 – 0 -

Suyin had remembered when Kya left to explore the world, to find herself. Suyin had looked up to her when she was younger, hoping that one day she could work up the nerve to just leave everything behind and travel.

Suyin also remembered Lin huffing, like she always did, and saying that Kya was a nice girl, but aimless with her head in the clouds.

"You really don't believe in having fun, do you?" Suyin had asked. "That's one of the few things you actually have in common with Tenzin."

And that was when the fight started.

Wait, a fight?

Suyin's head began to pound and her memories shifted to more recent events. She remembered more. She managed to sneak into a tavern on the shore and the men were more than happy to buy her a few drinks. She remembered someone getting touchy with her, then bending steel on her wrist. She remembered the floor opening beneath her and everything fading to black.

"... Pretty one, this. What's with yer face?"

"She gave me some trouble at the tavern, Captain. Don't know how, couldn't find a dagger on her when she dropped through the trap door. Tough little thing, she almost hacked off my nose."

"Not that you were a looker to start with. Now shut your mouth and go chain her up in the cabin."

The world suddenly became clear to her. The sky was blue and the sun was shining directly into her squinting, bloodshot eyes. There were masts and sails in her vision, and she felt herself being carried by hairy arms over a broad, sweaty shoulder.

"Ew! Let go of me!" she shrieked. She instinctively bended the bracelet to a sharp point and jabbed it into his buttock. The man made a wretching sound and dropped her on the floor. When she slipped from his grasp, she staggered to her feet and comprehended she was on a ship. Through her hungover daze, the searing pain in her head, she registered that she was being surrounded by men with tattoos and bandanas. She almost panicked, but then she sensed earth among them.

They were drawing swords. Perfect.

"Metalbender!"

That was what she remembered hearing, as well as some expletives, when she disarmed the lot. Admittedly, much of the fight was a blur to her through her headache. The oldest and scraggliest of the bunch who wore a large, frivolous hat and bright red overcoat was the only bender of the group, it had seemed, and he was just as out of his element as she was. All of the flames spiraling her way had sputtered out when she sensed a massive chain with a weight at the end somewhere on the ship. She forced the thick chain of the odd contraption to break with her bending and tossed the heavy weight his way, wrapping it around his body and knocking him off the ship, into the sea.

The crew came to a halt. There was only silence, then realization.

"Uh... Did I just throw a huge flamin' anchor at him?" she asked. A fragile looking, slender teen about her age in a light green tunic with tanned skin and a gold nose ring pushed through the crew. He swept a hand through his black, shoulder-length hair and looked off to the side nervously. He had confirmed her question with a silent nod and she allowed the implication to sink in. She and the crew then leaned over the rail and stared at the water.

She attempted to find the anchor using her bending, but it was futile, too far gone in the water to retrieve. She snapped the chain that had attached it to the ship in the short-lived fight, and it dawned on her that she just unintentionally drowned a man.

"Oops."

"That's the understatement of the century," one of the crew members quipped.

Another long silence, then she looked to either side of her person and spoke.

"So... aren't you all mad at me? Are you going to try to get revenge or something?"

"Probably not," the teen with the nose ring said. His voice had an oddly calm tone to it. "Captains rotate like the tides. He's the third one we've had in the past couple of months. Code dictates that whomsoever kills the current captain has rightful claim to the position. That, or the captain can be elected by a majority vote by the crew, but oftentimes it's not a unanimous agreement and they end up getting killed anyway. So unless someone here is willing to fight you to the death, you are now the captain of this ship."

"Pull the other one," Suyin said.

"He ain't kidding, little girl," the man who she had stabbed winced as he placed his hand on his rear. "It's ratdog eat ratdog in these parts, and there ain't enough ratdog to go around. I'm not gonna fight someone who makes daggers out of jewelry. 'sides, I hated his guts."

The crew began to murmur in agreement and aired their grievances.

"Haven't had a decent raid..."

"Never gave us more than a slice of bread and a lemon..."

"Took all the girls..."

"Drank all the rum..."

"Captain Suyin," she whispered to herself, grinning and stroking her chin. She rather liked the sound of that. The feeling left her so content that she almost forgot she had a hangover.

"Hey, you, nose ring guy!" she curled her finger and metalbent the little gold loop, tugging on it and forcing him to shuffle over to where she stood.

"What is it, Captain?"

"You seem to be the type of egghead who knows things about this joint," she said.

"Well, I have served as a helping hand and an informant of sorts..." he said uncomfortably with his nose in the air.

"Good deal," she said, ceasing her bending. "Then you're the guy to ask: Do we have any rum on this ship?"

"There are barrels in the captain's cabin," he said irritably, rubbing his nose once she released her hold on the ring.

"Great! My first order as captain of this ship is for you to get everyone on deck a round of drinks! I need some hair of the ratdog to celebrate my promotion."

The crew cheered at the "order" and nose ring guy narrowed his eyes.

"As you wish, Captain. Are there any other demands?" he asked in the most unamused tone possible.

"Well, if you're gonna be my informant and all, I'd like to call you something other than 'nose ring guy'. What's your name?"

"Aiwei, Captain," he proclaimed with a modest bow. "You may call me Aiwei."

* * *

 **A/N:** It seems, in the LoK universe, that all the metalbenders are either in the police force in Republic City or they head to Zaofu in search of better use of their talents. Considering Zaofu isn't a thing yet, I'm just going to interpret metalbending as a special skill that people know about, but isn't necessarily widely practiced or seen at that point in the time, so it's more of a rarity here than compared to the present events of the show.

Admittedly, we don't exactly get highlights of every single Earth Kingdom town to see what other metalbenders do (if there are any), but I figured I'd use the observation to my advantage for the story's sake.

Aiwei is pre-Red Lotus member in the pirate storyline. I like to think he did form a genuine bond with Su before he got involved in some shady stuff. Well, shadier stuff than hanging out with pirates.

So just what the heck is he doing on a pirate ship anyway? I dunno. That's going to have to be something in the next chapter, methinks.


	2. Keelhaul

**144 AG**

They had graduated from the university, childhood friends and brothers in the fraternity. Yet the only jobs available once they had their degrees would all be nothing more than slaving away in a building doing corporate work for Republic City. It would be a lifetime of paperwork and meetings. It would be something mundane, something boring, something unbearable. So they agreed to take a more exciting route and got themselves jobs in a seafaring trade company, taking care of the transition and procurement of cargo on the ship. They guaranteed themselves the steady pay of an office person with the excitement that comes with being a sailor. They were young with their whole lives ahead of them. It was the beginning of a career where the endless blues of the water and sky blended with the gentle sea breeze at their backs. It would be the perfect life.

So it was a great shock to be blinded-sided by a pirate ship their first week on the job, assaulted by a rag-tag crew and subdued with little struggle on their end. Their security team had faltered in the brief battle, all of them victims to chains and shackles that had slithered and struck of their own accord, wrapping around their wrists and ankles. Once the ship's staff had been subdued, the mixed team of waterbenders, firebenders, and nonbenders began to take the cargo. All the while, a young man with a nose ring appeared to take a head count on those chained to the deck, and it was then, and only then, that they saw _her_.

She leaped from the topmast of her ship and performed a series of flips any circus acrobat would envy, grabbing onto ropes and using the sails as slides until she landed onto the deck of their own ship. The body of a dancer hid underneath the heavy overcoat. It was leather, dark olive with silver accents and buckles, with a sash about her waist to match. Her pants, her boots, and the tricorne resting on her head were black, with small, silver embellishments. They noticed, oddly, that her blouse was the only light tinted article of clothing on her person. Still green, but faded to the point of almost appearing crème colored. Her olive skin glowed in the sunlight.

"A small crew for such a large ship." Her eyes glimmered and she smirked, sauntering over to the slim young man with the nose ring. "So, Aiwei, was I right, or was I right? It's mostly treasury gold, yeah?"

"This is a vessel under contract by the government!" the captain shouted, fighting against his bonds. "That gold is a loan! Your kind just can't waltz on board and take it! There are economic dealings that you couldn't possibly understand."

"The Southern Water Tribe survived for hundreds of years without any support from the Earth Kingdom. I doubt their _slooowly_ expanding society will tank without a few bars in their vault." The woman captain spotted her men carrying the gold in armfuls and casually metalbended a bar from their loot, flipping it in the air. "Can't eat gold during winter, and I hear there's a surplus of penguinseals. No harm done on my end."

"You think this is funny, you stupid bitch?" the captain hissed. Smoke began to billow from his nostrils and his cheeks puffed out.

"Ah ah ah, can't have that!" she chided. The fire died in his throat when she plugged his mouth with the gold bar and bent a muzzle around his jaw. "See? I made you a keepsake. I'm not such a bad guy."

The captain's protests came out in feeble, muffled curses and the young pirate looked over the captured crew with mild interest. Some of them looked like seaworthy folk, but most of the lot appeared oddly bureaucratic from where she stood, common on government-affiliated ships. She almost lost interest until she beheld two young men among the older crowd. Fresh out of university, innocent faces ripe for the picking.

It also didn't hurt they were easy on the eyes.

"You two don't look like the type of guys who would hang out with a bunch of stiff, boring contract traders," she chuckled. "You look more like the kind of guys who crave adventure, a wild party and a good time."

She leaned over at the waist to look into their eyes, and they couldn't help but stare down her blouse.

"And it just so happens that I have two spots to fill on my ship. I could use some cabin boys."

They would have wiped the drool off their chins if their hands hadn't been chained behind their backs. The young man named Aiwei sighed and rubbed his temples.

" _Captain_..."

"Come on, Aiwei, _Red Steel_ has room for two more." She stood up straight and turned to him. "You know by now that I take full responsibility for anyone who comes aboard. It would be a shame to let their _potential_ squander with this lot." She gestured to the rest of the fallen crew. They all glared, with the exception of the young men who had become instantly smitten. She turned her attention back to them, looking down where they were and placing her hands on her hips.

"So, are you interested?"

They stumbled over their "Yes!" in unison, and their now former shipmates only shook their heads in disgust. Soft, stupid boys, taken in with a low-cut blouse and a smile.

"Wonderful!" she said with a clap. The young men found themselves being lifted off the deck with her bending and thrown into the arms of a passing pirate with a broad, heavy build and a multitude of tattoos. "Shang, put those two in my cabin."

"Aye yay, Captain," he said with a sly grin, carrying the two men over his shoulder and out of view. Aiwei kept his lips tight and relaxed his eyes.

"Now that you have decided on our new recruits, Captain, what shall we do with the rest of the prisoners?"

"Aiwei, do you really have to ask? You know my policy by now," she tittered. The jovial sound was a sharp contrast to the sudden frisson of terror that struck the men to their core when she metalbended a cutlass blade from underneath the sleeve of the green overcoat.

"I don't take prisoners."

\- 0 – 0 – 0 -

The blade was swift as it was sharp.

The small lifeboat dropped gracelessly into the water when the rope was cut. The chained group looked up at the pirate captain as the waterbenders of her crew began to push them away.

"You're really just going to leave us out here?" shouted a man from the lifeboat.

"Stop complaining. I gave you rations," she reassured.

"We'll drown out here!" protested another man.

"Maybe, or maybe not," she said with a shrug. "Most pirates would have taken your heads. I think I'm actually being pretty reasonable here."

"By leaving us chained up to die on a dingy?!"

" _I'm_ not leaving you to die," she said with a wave of her hand. "This route isn't as well traveled as others, but it's not exactly a secret. If you're lucky, another ship will come along and pick you up. Whether or not you die is up to the weather at this point."

Her crew snickered as she turned her back to the still protesting men on the boat. Aiwei stood by her side, emotionless, hearing their cries grow more distant until they could no longer reach his ears.

"All right, crew, I'd say we did well today. Let's roll out a barrel or two to celebrate."

Anything cohesive or remotely disciplined was thrown to the wayside the moment Suyin gave the command.

"Shall I round them up in the morning, Captain?" Aiwei asked. He paid no mind to the ensuing chaos around him.

"If it makes you rest easy. Just make sure no one bothers me tonight unless it's an emergency," Suyin said.

"As you wish, Captain," Aiwei sighed.

"Aiwei, how many times do I have to tell you?" she asked as she stopped in front of the door of her cabin. "The whole 'aye captain' thing is cool when I'm giving orders, but you don't have to use it all the time when we're just talking. It's been two years; it's okay to call me Su."

"Of course... Su," Aiwei said, somehow still uncomfortable with the informality. It was refreshing, but still unfamiliar to him.

"Keep the ship tight," Suyin said as she opened the door to her cabin and looked over her shoulder. "But don't be afraid to have a little fun. You worry way too much."

"I'm your first mate and quartermaster, Su," he said, letting the name come out more easily. "It's my job to worry for you."

"Suit yourself," Suyin shrugged. "See you in the morn'."

When he saw the door close and heard the locks click, he inhaled the sea air, a motion long and deep within his chest. He then looked over his shoulder and beheld the mayhem of his shipmates dancing around a bonfire. His calm demeanor cracked.

"No! Stop, you fools, that's not what the steel fire grill's for!"

\- 0 – 0 – 0 -

There was pounding.

It was not a pounding in her head or a pounding in the sense of what activities had ensued with the new cabin boys, but literal pounding. She mustered the energy to move the lush silk sheets below her eyes and saw the door to her cabin shaking.

"Su! Captain! Are you awake?" It was Aiwei. She blinked once and moved her fingers, undoing the locks and turning the knob with her bending. Aiwei sent himself tumbling into the room fist first when she opened the door, and he landed unceremoniously on his face.

"Aiwei, do you know what time it is?" Su murmured, propping herself up on the pillows and letting the sheets drop to her waist. The young men on either side of her didn't stir in their sleep. Sunlight poured into the cabin from the open door and closed windows, illuminating the various treasures scattered about Suyin's office and retreat, a golden glow contrasting with the deep greens of the room. Aiwei brushed one of many empty wine bottles on the expensive rug aside as he picked himself off the floor. The ship's quartermaster didn't bother averting his eyes to any of their nude bodies. It was a scene of which he was very accustomed to by now.

"It is morning, Captain," Aiwei informed, attempting to recollect himself in a dignified manner. "While I understand the nightly festivities have left all on board exhausted, there is a pressing matter that needs your immediate attention."

"Can't it wait 'til noon, Aiwei?" Suyin asked with a lazy smile as she reached for an unlabeled bottle filled with grog on her nightstand. She metalbended a gold chalice from a pile of nondescript treasure in a corner and began to fill it. "I've quite a thirst to satisfy, and the new cabin boys still need some training."

"You may nurse yourself with as much hair of the ratdog as you wish, but their 'training' will have to wait." Aiwei pulled out a scroll from the sleeves of his tunic. "You have received a letter from the Marauders' Council."

"The Marauders' what-now?" Suyin squinted over the rim of the chalice.

"Perhaps this will be a matter better discussed outside the cabin," Aiwei suggested. "What I am holding here is a very heavy topic. I think it would do us both very well to talk about it with some fresh air."

"All right, Aiwei, if you insist, but let's make it quick," Suyin rolled her eyes. Her bedmates still didn't wake up as she slipped out. She settled for putting on a pair of knickers and her overcoat. Aiwei said nothing. Her cleavage and stomach were still showing, but it was better than walking out onto the deck stark naked.

The rest of the crew were either still asleep or in a mental state where the last remnants of alcohol faught their consciousness for supremacy. Aiwei and Suyin walked down the stairs from her elevated cabin onto the main deck. The surface shimmered lightly, thin tiles of unpolished bronze with small engravings for aesthetic detail. The bronze was a touch that Suyin added shortly after acquiring her position as captain. It was more of a defense mechanism than decoration, a subtle weapon she could bend and beckon at a whim during a raid—or a mutiny. Suyin never had any problem with the latter, however, proving a more charismatic and effective captain than the many who came before her. She was a leader worth more than her weight in the drink and gold they acquired over the years under her command.

They made their way to the front of the ship and Suyin leaned on the railing with her back to the water.

"Okay, Aiwei, what is so important about this letter that you had to pull me out of bed with the new recruits?"

The young woman was still subject to her vices, Aiwei noticed, but at least she was competent in her leading abilities.

"It was dropped off by an iguanapigeon at dawn," Aiwei informed.

"Ugly things," Suyin commented.

"I agree, but this," Aiwei gestured to the scroll, "may not be so ugly. Your ventures have not gone unnoticed. It is an invitation to the annual Marauder's Council at the Sunken Rock Isle. You and the crew are expected to arrive—"

"Slow your ostrichhorse there, Aiwei," Suyin said, lifting a hand up to his face. "Just what are these fucking Council and Rock things you're talking about?"

Aiwei's eyes widened in surprise, not at her language (such words were normal for pirates and sailors alike), but at her complete lack of understanding.

"You mean to tell me you don't remember?" Aiwei asked. "I know it was a while ago, but I at least thought I made those details in the manual quite prominent."

"Uh... manual?" Suyin queried, taking a sip from her chalice.

"Su! Are you serious?" Aiwei asked, flabbergasted. "Remember the little booklet I gave you? The one where I listed all the pirate codes and customs?"

"Mmm," Suyin hummed in thought, taking another sip of grog. It was coming back to her. About six months after she took charge of the ship, Aiwei had indeed given her a small booklet he made himself. He confided that he had felt confident in her position as captain being permanent, and that he _strongly urged_ her to read that booklet. Of course, as her appointed quartermaster and informant, Aiwei strongly urged for her to take any advice he gave.

She also remembered later that night, she needed tinder for a fire to light a few rolls of lilyweed they had acquired in a raid earlier that day from a smuggling ship.

"To be completely honest with you Aiwei, I did not read the manual in its entirety," Suyin confessed with a shrug. "And it's long gone, so you're going to have to brief me on that stuff again."

An audible slap was heard when Aiwei's palm hit his forehead.

"Don't be that way, Aiwei." Suyin placed a hand on his shoulder. "You know the duties of a captain are a pretty tough load to handle. A landlubbin' earthbender like myself had a lot to adapt to back then. I may have had a natural talent for managing unruly folk, but I also had to learn navigation and seafaring, research the best travel routes, think over tactics for a raid. I had a lot on my plate. Can you blame me for not taking the time to read a few rules here and there?"

"I suppose not," Aiwei sighed.

"So what does this Marauders' Council want from me?" Su asked as she swished her grog around in her cup.

"To put it simply," Aiwei began, "they are what you would call the 'big boys'. They are a group of the most experienced, ruthless, cunning ratdogs to ever sail the seas. They are the ones who enforce and amend the Pirate Codes, as well as hold a gathering each year to exchange strategies, treasures, and battle techniques. Any captain worth their ship's weight in gold is invited to the meeting, and this invitation shows you made the cut."

Suyin appeared to review the words in her head as she took a long, languid sip of her drink.

"... So, basically, I have to sit through some boring ass meeting with a bunch of old as shit pirates when I could be doing other things with my time. Pass."

"C-Captain! I mean, Su!" Aiwei balked and stopped Suyin when she made a motion to step away. "You appear to be mistaken. This invitation is _not optional._ "

"Says who?"

"Says the Head of the Council! His signature is right here!" Aiwei pointed to it wildly. "To decline his offer is to incite an act of war!"

"He's probably so old that his hand has been replaced with a cane. We can take him," Suyin said. Aiwei heaved exasperatedly.

"Su, this is an _honor_. You are basically being given a seat at the table of the big bads. Do you have any idea the sheer magnitude of what you've accomplished? There are pirates out there who have spent _decades_ trying to get into the Council with no luck. Yet only after a couple of years, here is the invitation on your ship, and you won't even consider going?"

"... Is anything else going to happen aside from talking and treasure trading?" Suyin asked, cocking her head to the side and squinting. Aiwei composed himself and realized he wasn't giving his captain the right incentives. He knew her better by now.

"Su, the biggest and baddest players are going to be there. It's going to be a _huge_ party," he affirmed with a sly smirk—or what he thought was a sly smirk.

She lifted an eyebrow in suspicion and took another sip from the chalice.

"How big a party?"

Aiwei broke out into a smile. She had taken the bait.

"Think of the stuff that happens at Port Keelhaul, only spread out on an entire island."

A spark of recognition in her eyes, then excitement. Aiwei knew, at that moment, he won her over. Port Keelhaul was a pirate haven, a coastal town driven by rum, gold, fighting, sex and balls to the wall noise, everything an adrenaline addict like Suyin craved. The thought of an entire island like that hit all the right notes.

"All right, Aiwei, I will let you run a rig on me and go, _but_..."

"What is it, Captain?"

"What's in it for you?" She pointed the rim of her chalice at his nose. "You're not much of a party animal. Why, you're usually the one in the corner taking inventory and sorting out the expenses of what's broken by the end. Just what do you get out of convincing _me_ to go to this grand ol' meeting?"

Aiwei's smile faded into a frown.

"It prevents a black spot against _Red Steel_ ," he reasoned, then hesitated, looking off to the side and staring at the glimmering water. "I really wish you remembered what was in that manual, Su. If you had any idea of the repercussions..."

He trailed off into silence. Suyin stared, wondering if it would be worth it to prod for details, but left the thought and decided to deter the conversation to something more interesting.

"So, how is your metalbending coming along?"

Aiwei sputtered and struggled for a response.

"Uh... It, well... It's... coming along."

"Oh, yeah?" Suyin asked, placing a hand on her hip. "Prove it. Take the ring out of your nose without touching it."

"I'm... I'm not quite at that level yet," Aiwei confessed, hunching his shoulders.

"A damn shame," she said with a shake of her head. "Would you like to play with my meteorite bracelet some more to help you out?"

Aiwei cringed at the words "play" and "bracelet". He wasn't a child.

"I just need more time, is all," he said quickly. "Gold is soft enough to practice. I just... don't quite have the handle on it yet."

"You sure you don't want my help?" Suyin asked with a soft smile. "You're the only other earthbender on this ship. I'd be doing a pretty bad disservice to you if I didn't offer to teach you metalbending in the spare time."

A small iron coin drifted between the two of them, slowly, and Aiwei proceeded to move it up and down before letting it settle in his hand.

"You've taught me plenty," Aiwei said as he pocketed the coin. Suyin tipped her cup to him in a lazy motion of kudos before moving it to her mouth for another drink. Aiwei took advantage of the pause in conversation to change the topic.

"So, what do you intend for the new cabin boys, Captain?"

Suyin cocked an eyebrow in inquiry.

"Do you need me to brief them once they wake up?"

"Those two lilylivers? Nah," Suyin said. "They're good for the cabin, but not much else."

"Are we to throw them overboard like the last one you had?" Aiwei asked casually.

"No, no," Suyin laughed. She rested her forearms on the railing and looked back out to the sea, dangling the cup from her fingertips. "They're not going to grow sea legs anytime soon, but I like 'em well enough. I'll wait 'til we dock the ship to dump them."

"Aren't you ever worried?" Aiwei started.

"About what?" she asked, looking at him through the corners of her eyes.

"The consequences with all these men. Do you ever think your choices are dangerous?" he asked. Suyin's cheeks puffed out with a scoff.

"I can make daggers out of coins, Aiwei. I can handle myself."

"Not that sort of danger, Captain. There are... other concerns about your choices I worry about."

It took Suyin a second to comprehend the words before her smirk melted into a sneer.

"Oh, for the love of— Aiwei, don't talk like that. You sound like my lame sister," Suyin complained. "'Su, you don't know where they've been.' 'Su, you're gonna regret this.' 'Su, you're gonna get sick.' Blah, blah, blah. I've been playing this game for a while now, Aiwei. I've more chance of getting scurvy out here. Nothing is going to happen."

"And if the most obvious consequence were to happen?" Aiwei pressed. The gears turned over in Suyin's head and she pursed her lips.

"'Obvious consequence'? You mean kids or something?"

"Well, that's the primary result of such activities," Aiwei muttered into his hand. "What would be your plan if you had a child at sea?"

"Then I raise the kid, duh," Suyin said. The drink swirled as she lifted her arms in a careless motion. "The kid will be taught by the greatest metalbending pirate lord, traveling on the best pirate ship to sail the seas, going on the wildest raids, learning the best tricks, and my kid will be the most awesome kid to ever exist. Ta-da! End of story."

"I think raising a child is more complicated than that," Aiwei said.

"Please, Aiwei, don't start with me. I practically raised myself growing up, and look how I turned out. The crew are practically family, too, so we'll have more than enough nannies to help pick up the babysitting duty."

Aiwei observed the smooth contours of Suyin's features in the morning light. Not a single line of worry or care on her face. He knew her words weren't bravado, and she believed what she said. Fearless, impulsive, a creature of the moment, always trusting her own instincts as though the world would pave a path for her, _if_ she hadn't already made way to do so herself. Someone with a nature to match the ever turning tides, he would expect nothing less from the captain of _Red Steel._ Such an attitude almost always placed the young woman in harm's way, but it was also refreshing to him whenever she pulled off the latest and greatest heist as a result of her risks.

"Very well, Captain. Please take no offense and know that I only worry for your well being," Aiwei said with a humble bow. A small strand of hair on Suyin's face blew upwards when she huffed in amusement.

"Uh huh, sure. I notice you don't seem to worry all that much about my choices when I'm more than happy to give you the pretty ones that aren't interested," she teased. A flush of red ran across Aiwei's cheeks. Before he could think of a retort, Suyin spoke again.

"Anyway, I assume that letter has the date and coordinates, right? I'll read it over while we head for Port Keelhaul."

"What?!" Aiwei balked. "Why Port Keelhaul? There are three other ports on the way that we could dock at instead." He also wanted to emphasize they were also three cleaner, _safer_ ports.

"Aiwei, my dear, wily quartermaster, you said this Council meeting is going to be a party." Suyin finished off her grog and plucked the invitation out of his hands. "We all need to train up for the event."

\- 0 – 0 – 0 -

Their ship had been accosted the moment they docked the ship. _Red Steel_ was as notorious as her captain, a well known junk that had shared many a successful raid. It was not a massive ship by any means, but a more than adequate junk that tore across the waves like a rayshark and turned on a doubloon. The most notable feature of the junk was not her pointed sails or shining deck, but the dark green jolly roger with the skull of a boar laying atop two crossed swords. When they had docked, almost immediately, Aiwei found himself chasing a party of unknown pirates who had decided to pick up Suyin and carry her to the nearest tavern, tossing the woman in the air and catching her in celebration of a wild night to come.

Aiwei dreaded this type of training. It was a neverending exercise to keep his robes clean and his skin unmarked as bottles and rubbish were thrown about in a drunken frenzy. Suyin had become a celebrity at Port Keelhaul, notorious for her escapades at sea and her ensuing adventures at the port. Amidst throwing more than her weight in steel around in a fight, she had also gained a talent for drinking challengers under the table and a poor habit of bedding any of the opponents she found attractive shortly afterward. Every tavern at Port Keelhaul had a room reserved for Suyin and her crew, as their visits were often and they spent plenty during their short stays.

The quartermaster always had to remind Suyin that the purpose of docking was to recollect any food and supplies needed, but he was always met with the typical reply.

"I got it, Aiwei, I got it!" Suyin slurred, as always, crossing her boots on a table and raising a tankard to her lips. "If you're so worried, just head out and get the stuff we need, like you always do. I trust your judgment."

"Captain, I respect your decisions, but I must voice my concern on leaving you here to get collect our supplies. Are you absolutely certain you feel comfortable maintaining yourself without me?"

"'Maintaining myself.' 'Maintaining myself,' he says," Suyin squealed and thumped her boots up and down. Aiwei sighed and scanned the interior. The establishment was packed to the gills, a thrashing multitude of overcoats, bandanas, tattoos, and scantily clad women. A dimly lit hive of debauchery in every sense of the word, he had to resist breathing too deeply for the heady scent of booze and opium.

"If you need to settle your nerves, Aiwei, take some of this before you go." Suyin held out a pipe with a coquettish smile while she pushed her tankard out to a bawdy maid for a refill. Aiwei politely refused and went away to find the vendors, as he always did time and time again. Suyin was wild, but not completely oblivious, and she always took care to keep her crew around. They were as loyal as a band of ratdogs could be, and Suyin was more than capable to rouse them when a fight took place. That detail was enough for Aiwei to leave her to her own devices, but it never left him feeling entirely comfortable as he prepared the itinerary for the trip ahead. While most of Suyin's crew stuck close to their captain, they were more likely to support her in instigating chaos than they were to prevent her from taking part, and in knowing this, he could never fully bring himself to relax whenever he was told to leave her.

Such a protective attitude toward someone other than himself did not come naturally, and it had to be learned long after Suyin took charge. Her charisma was infectious, dynamite incarnate, and whatever light that came off the captain touched her crew, invigorating, motivating. Yet as he admired her headstrong and carefree ways, he always found himself stressed with her antics as well. Suyin was like a sister to him, and despite all his years at sea, he doubted he could stomach the thought of anything serious happening to her if he could help it.

That thought incited the sensation of nausea and rage when Aiwei had finished his rounds and had come back to the tavern that night. He beheld an unfamiliar pirate, lithe and tall, gripping Suyin by the shoulders like a rag doll and slamming her down on the table, placing a knee between her legs. As he pinned her neck with one hand, the buttons on her blouse snapped off when the other hand gripped at the fabric. That was as far as the man went before a half-empty rum bottle smashed into his head.

"Get off her!" Aiwei cried half-way across the tavern. He proceeded to bend iron coins from the sleeves of his tunic, using them as small projectiles and embedding them into the offending pirate's body. Small spurts of blood from the side of his head and chest splattered on Suyin and the table before he collapsed in a heap on the floor. The occupants of the tavern did not so much as acknowledge the act and continued with their own merriment, either through sheer drunken oblivion or their complete apathy to such events.

Of the strangers, Aiwei did not expect any to intervene on Suyin's behalf. They were all a dirty lot who would just as soon rob you when you blinked. However, there was a particular party of which he did find fault, and he was outraged.

"What kind of crew are you?!" Aiwei shouted the men and women of _Red Steel_. "I trust you all with the life and well being of our captain when I am not in her company. Yet here you all are, standing about with grog in one hand and fists up your rears like a sorry pack of ratdogs when she was assaulted! Why didn't any of you help her?!"

The crew stared in bewilderment and Suyin lifted herself off the table, brushing imaginary dust off the shoulders of her overcoat. Aiwei hastily made his way over to her, purposefully bumping into the surrounding crew.

"Su, are you all right?" Aiwei asked, making an effort to shield her exposed midriff and cleavage with the loose sleeves of his tunic. Suyin brushed his hands aside and whistled in an amused manner, looking over her shoulder and at dead body the floor.

"Damn, Aiwei, you _have_ improved your metalbending," Suyin praised. "I do wish you didn't try out the 'pointy rain' technique on my date, though."

"Why, thank you, captain, I have taken you lessons to hear— Wait, _what_?" Aiwei said.

"Well, not really a date. I just liked that he was tall and good looking, so I promised I'd take him for a ride the wenches can't match if he beat me at a game. We were playing rum Pai Sho and I did pretty well on the rum part, not so much on the Pai Sho," Suyin giggled. Her cheeks were noticeably red. "When I lost and said 'Well, fuck,' he took it pretty literally."

Aiwei's mouth had trouble keeping up with his brain as he tried to process the words. Over his stutters of "What?", the crew snickered as Suyin nudged the corpse with the tip of her boot, turning the head to look at her.

"A shame, he _had_ a nice face," Suyin mused. "Wouldn't have minded it a little rough for a change. Oh, well. Hey, wench, can I get another tankard over here?"

"Hold on!" Aiwei grabbed Suyin's wrist to hold her attention.

"You actually _wanted_ to be taken by that grog blossomed brute on the _table_?" Aiwei had said the last word as though he had just licked the bilge of a ship. "In front of all these people?"

"Oh, come on, Aiwei, don't act like that," Suyin said as she slipped out of his grip. "You know I'm always up for a little thrill. Besides, it's not like anyone here cares. Why, there's some action going on behind you right now."

Indeed, there was "action" occurring behind Aiwei as she spoke that involved three of the bar maids and a varied assortment of very happy customers. Aiwei resisted the urge to evacuate his supper from his mouth and turned his attention back to Suyin.

"While you are an adult who can make her own decisions," he said, unsure of his own words. "I would feel more comfortable for your health and safety if you retired to either the reserved room upstairs or your cabin back at the ship if you wish to engage in such activities."

"All right, _Mom_ ," Suyin said in a drunken slur as she rolled her eyes. "Whatever floats your boat. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to enjoy the rest of my evening with my fallback plan."

With nothing more to say, Suyin metalbended a silver tankard off a bar maid's serving platter and sauntered off. Aiwei immediately realized her "fallback plan" were the new cabin boys she had picked up a few days earlier. When he saw them disappear into the crowd, Aiwei heaved and rubbed his eyes. It was far too late to deal with all of this.

A large hand came down on his shoulder and startled him.

"Cheer up, Aiwei," said Shang, their heavy muscled and more heavily tattooed rigger. In truth, he had been the first of the crew who made contact with Suyin, being the one who kidnapped her two years ago from another tavern while she was in a drunken stupor. He was good natured man (for a pirate) with a son somewhere back in the Earth Kingdom. He, like Aiwei, cared for Suyin's well being, but Shang was a little more lax in his attitude toward their captain's antics.

"It is difficult to be cheerful when she gets like this. How can I expect her to make a good impression in front of the Marauders' Council when she always loses herself in the discord?"

"The captain's a little wanton 'n' such, but she can hold herself up all right," Shang shrugged. "Let her have a little fun before she has to deal with those scurvy ratdogs at the Council."

Aiwei's breath caught in his throat and his lips locked into a tight line. "Scurvy ratdogs" didn't begin to describe the lot that waited for her arrival. Precautions needed to be taken. Tonight, he would let Suyin have her fun at Port Keelhaul, but he promised himself, for the sake of his captain and the crew, he would keep a very close eye on her once they reached the Sunken Rock Isle.

 _Red Steel_ could not survive a black spot.

* * *

 **A/N:** I imagine that, as a rash and careless teen with little to no regard for consequences, Suyin would probably be an equally rash and careless pirate lord with little regard for consequences. Aye, who cares about dead bodies when you have rum, gold, and men?

It's a pirate's life, matey.


End file.
